Method of producing composite pictures



NW m, 1935'. G B L magma METHOD OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PICTURES Filed. Oct. 12, 1931 5 u U onus nun nun nuunu I 611. rm Armpzvg rs Patented Nov. '12, 1935 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PRDDUOING COMPOSITE HUI'URES Conrad G. Brie], Chicago,

Development rationot Illinois 111., assignor to Cinema Company, Chicago, 111., a corpo- Application October 12, 1931, Serial No. 568,387 r 3 Claims. (CI. 88-46) This invention relates to a. method of producing composite pictures. More particularly.

which they are respectively illuminable, and, by a single exposure, producing a. composite picture.

The desirability of producing composite photographsis particularly marked in the motion picture art, but the invention herein described is not limited to this art alone but may be used generally in photography.

Broadly, two or more original scenes or components may be composed into n single picture by the use oi film transparencies, one comprising a selected background and the other comprising e, selected action, which are superposed and photographed, and both components having their images rendered opaque to but reflective of light, the specific disclosure including applying a. coating having hoth characteristics of light reflectiv ity and opacity to the image oi. the foreground and then treating the image ot the back-- ground film to be reflective of light, as by bleaching, and epplying an opaque and non-actlnic coating to the background film, preferably over the entire him, so that when both components ,are superposed and illuminated by reflected light, a. composite photograph may he produced.

12, 1931, both being assigned to the present as signee.

In order to apprise those skilled in the art how to practice my invention, I shall now describe several preferred embodiments in connection.

with the accompanying drawing which forms a In the drawing: Figure 1 illustrates one of the various ways 01 placlnga treated foreground film adjacent to a.

treated background film, and photographing to produce posure;

. Fig. 2 is a similar illustration showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a iront elevation of a positive back;- ground scene, the film m v d in pho ap y;

a. composite picture by a single exbeing that usually em- Fig. 4 is a negative 01' a background scene shown in Fig. 1; Fig.5isapositiveimageonafllmtobeused as a foreground;

Fig. 6 is the same image shown in Fig. 5, but 5 looking at the opposite or emulsion side to show the opaque but light-reflective coating over the Fig. 7 illustrates a finished composite picture carrying the images of the foreground and the 10 background thereon as a complete picture;

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate additional alternative embodiments oi the invention;

Fig. 10 illustrates an alternative method of treating the background component; and 15 Fig. 11 illustrates an alternative method of treating the foreground component.

The components used may be the usual black and. white diapositives, such as the ordinary cinema projecting film, or plates used instill 20 photography, or they may be paintings, depending upon the characters or images to be comloined and the super-posing to be done.

When the extensively used present-day film is' developed, the images are formed by the ilxation 2 of innumerable minute particles of metalhc silver As shown in the drawing, the background may be scenery or other objects in the form of a painting or photographic film and may be produced 40 by making a negative III, as shown in Fig. 4. Positive print H of negative I0 is shown in Fig. 3. As a speciflcexample, the foreground film 12 shown in Fig. 5 may be the usual diapositive, such the parent or relatively free from silver deposit. Forearound component ,or positive print I: is then light. Bleaching method of obtaining is opaque to but reflective of light, is applied to image i4, preferably at the emulsion side of the film. Fig. 6 illustrates image it after it has been coated by opaque but light reilective substance l6, and is a view looking-at the emulsion side of .the foreground fllm l2. Opaque and light reflective coating I6 may be applied to the image M either manually, mechanically, chemically, optically, photographically or electrolytically, and while it is shown applied to image It upon the emulsion side, it will'be understood that it may be applied to the base side i5 when the occasion may require.

In order to make the image of the background component reflectiveof light, fllm I0 is treated, say by bleaching, in any well known way, so that the particles of silver deposit will be changed into a light flgure or into a substance which reflects the background image will preferably necessitate the use of a negative for the backgr und, because such bleaching causes in effect a change of the negative into a positive when said bleached image is coated black and viewed by reflected light. It will be remembered that the photographic impression on background negative i0, shown in Fig. 4, maybe either inherently reflective of light, or otherwise previous ly treated to be reflective of light, for any purpose whatsoever.

I do not wish to be limited to the particular way this step of the invention is accomplished, but

,merely suggest bleaching the silver deposit on the.

background component to a whiteness as one the desired results, the density of the whiteness varying according to the density of the metallic silver, with a corresponding variation of reflectivity for light to effect a correct reproduction of the image and. its details when photographed upon negative fllm l6.

Bleaching the silver image on a film is a step well known in the art. As an example, I suggest the use ofa re-agent comprising mercuric chloride and potassium bromide, which changes the metallic silver into a complex silver mercury bromide. The density of the image may be somewhat built up in the bleaching action, but this is not necessary for the purpose of the present invention because it may be said that it is quite desirable to control the intensification of the image and even restrict it as much as possible, so that the density and contrast of the image will remain quite uniform throughout the steps of the process. A relatively opaque or non-actinic coating ll may then be applied to the rear surface of background negative ill in any suitable way. By the term rear surface I mean the surface that is away from and not facing lens ll of camera it. As an alternative method of applying an opaque or non-actinic substance to the background image, I

I have found that after this background image is bleached, the fllm ill may then be dipped or passed through any well-known developing solution so that the particles near the surface comprising the consists in placing negative background film It and positive foreground fllm l2, after both components have been treated, in superposed relation. As shown in the drawing, background negative Ill and foreground positive l2 need not be in actual contact but may be arranged in suitable position in one focal plane of lens, iii of camera It, while unexposed film W- may be arranged in the other focal plane of lens It. By proper lights ing effects, these films may be illuminated so that they may be photographed by camera otherwise exposed to film l6, and a composite picture produced upon fllm ii, which, in this case, will be a negative.

secure the desired results. It is possible to space the components a suitable distance apart and employ separate background it and the foreground component ii. If an arrangement is used which is shown in the ground component i2 and be reflected back from 25 the background film it through this clear area I! offllm l2, except where foreground image area l4 appears thereon, thereby effecting illumination of the background component by reflection. Coating or surface l8 serves to prevent the passage of 30 reflected light from background fllm III through the foreground image area, while at the same time it causes the reflection of the rays of light from the iliuminators so that the details of the foreground image ll will appear clear and distinct 35 in the composite picture. Film 22 is a positive of negative I" and illustrates a complete composite picture of the images shown in the background and foreground films illustrated in the 40 be such as will be opaque to but reflective of light,

preferably being, however, of light color.

I have found that the coating It may be obtained by dipping foreground him I! into a bleaching re-agent, which re-agent may be s H, or 10 illuminators for illuminating the 20 lar to that above described, 1: so desired, until the particles near the surface of the foreground image ll are bleached to a substantial whiteness, this step being controlled to the extent of restricting the bleaching action upon the surface particles to a depth sufficient to produce a backing 23, as shown in Fig. 11, similar to coating I, having the necessary light reflectivity to show the details of the foreground image ll upon the composite picture, the image having been made by over-exposing and deeply developing in order to furnish the necessary opacity. The method of producing an opaque and light-reflective surface in this manner has been disclosed and claimed in, my co-pending application filed April 25, 1931.

In instances where coating I1 is employed, this coating may be applied to background component Win a number of different ways, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 8 ands.

Where the mulsion of background fllm Ill and Serial No. 532,840,

the foreground fllm in Fig. 1. coatin loid base 24 and'the emulsion 2|.

anytypeof fllm may be used and a celluloid base is not essential.

In. Fig. 8', the background emulsion is shown carried upon a sheet of. dark material 20. This material may be of any suitable substance, such purpose as In Fig. 9 there is shown an arrangement em as paper, and may serve the same coating l1. 1

g the application of coating I! to the emulsion 25 of background component ll, so that the celluloid 24 is arranged to face the foreground component II.

In the drawing, the photographic emulsion is,

shown considerably thicker in cross section than the celluloid base contrary to the actual proporis made for the purpose of illustration only, that these proportions may vary, and that the proportions of the standard photographic film are also contemplated.

Other advantages and objects will be apparent to those skilled spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

photograph two component parts, one

theentire film between the cellub a fresh actinic poeedand illuminated .-l.'1'he method of producing a composite mbodyin ther treating the light reflective background imreflective of light. super- 4 e upon the background image and illuminating them by light with make it reflective of light, applying a non-actinic backing to the light reflective background image to make it v rying reflective of light, sullerposlng both images and illuminating them, and surface to the images so super-40 -CONRAD G. BRIEL. 

